Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals should be open about their sexuality in order to debunk the "notion that we are other," Denis Dison, the vice president of the Victory Fund, said in the PRIDE Week keynote speech on Tuesday. In his speech, Dison discussed the election of LGBT community members to public office.
The Victory Fund endorses, funds and trains openly LGBT candidates for elected office at all levels of government. The group works to bring the LGBT community "to the table where the decisions are being made," Dison said.
In his speech, Dison cited as inspiration Harvey Milk, an openly gay man who was elected to public office in San Francisco in 1977.
"His dream was that if we elected more gay people, we would be accomplishing more for our community than we could if we sat outside of a legislative body and protested," he said.
Dison also shared some of his organization's accomplishments, including its support of Houston Mayor Annise Parker, the first lesbian elected mayor of a major American city.
"When we put our mind to winning, we can do it in places you don't think we can do it," he said.
Looking to the future of LGBT politics, Dison highlighted the importance of the enactment of a nationwide Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.
"We have a long, long way to go before we are proportionally represented in government," he said.
Dison also praised Dartmouth's PRIDE Week efforts during his address.
"You guys really have a lot to be proud about," he said. "You have a very open and affirming community here."
Rigel Cable '10, chair of the PRIDE Week Committee, said that bringing a speaker from the Victory Fund offered a new perspective on LGBT political representation.
"We talk a lot at Dartmouth about advocacy and awareness about LGBT issues, but we don't talk a lot about actual public offices and elected positions," Cable said.
Samantha Mandel '10, funding chair of the PRIDE Week Committee, worked as an intern for the Victory Fund last summer and helped bring Dison to campus, she said.
"I think in a lot of ways they get a lot more done than a lot of the bigger-name organizations because they really put these people in office who then make big waves in terms of the legislation," Mandel said.
This year's PRIDE Week began Monday with CookOUT on the Collis Porch featuring a performance by Occam's Razor. PRIDE Week activities on Wednesday include TransForm, billed as a "gender-bending" runway show held in Collis Common Ground, and a visit on Thursday by gay rights activist Fred Karger.
Karger is considering running for president in 2012, which would make him the first openly gay U.S. presidential candidate, according to Cable.
Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson, who was the first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop, also spoke on sexuality and religion last Thursday.
"I think it's been one of the most exciting [PRIDE weeks] we've had, and the momentum's been amazing," Cable said. "We have the largest number of campus partners we've ever had."
This year's PRIDE week featured a wider variety of events than previous years', allowing for several new organizations to become involved, according to Cable.
"I think people are realizing that PRIDE is for absolutely everyone, and it brings so many people together," he said.
Dison was brought to campus through the joint efforts of the PRIDE week committee and the Rockefeller Center.
